The government plans to strengthen links between educational institutions and industries by following China’s successful “industry-academia linkage” model, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon said yesterday.

“We saw during our China visit that their industry-academia linkage is very strong. We want to follow that model in Bangladesh,” he told reporters after a meeting titled “Strategic Partnership between Bangladesh and China in the Education Sector” at the Foreign Ministry.

The minister said China has a highly developed education system and provides scholarships to Bangladeshi students.

A three-member delegation led by the education minister visited China from 25 to 29 August. It included Prime Minister’s Education Adviser Dr Mahdi Amin and Technical and Madrasah Education Division Secretary Md Daud Miah.

One of the key outcomes of the visit was the signing of a memorandum of understanding to establish the China-Bangladesh Vocational Education, Training and Research Centre.

The initiative will facilitate cooperation in technical training, bilingual educational materials, education-industry linkages, research, industrial training, study visits to China and specialised training.

Three cooperation platforms were also inaugurated during the visit: the China-Bangladesh Vocational Teacher Training Centre, Bangladesh Vocational Education Research Centre and Bangladesh “Chinese Language + Skill Development” Cooperation Centre.

Officials said the initiatives would help create stronger links between education, practical skills, industry demand and future employment opportunities for Bangladeshi youth.

The education minister also said steps had been taken to simplify visa procedures for Chinese language teachers coming to Bangladesh.

“There were some complications in the visa process for Chinese language teachers. Steps are now being taken to simplify it,” he said, adding that visa procedures for Bangladeshi students travelling to China had already been eased.

Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen and senior government officials attended the meeting.